Commuters seek travel alternatives as bus strike impact increases

While a general strike at Dublin Bus has been underway since Sunday, the action is having its greatest impact today as most Dubliners return to work after the August bank holiday.

With about 400,000 journeys made on the service on a working day, Dublin Bus estimates hundreds of thousands of passengers will be put out by the strike.

On such commuter is Jennifer Devitt, who travels from Blanchardstown. She said the strike means it will now take her longer to get to work. Usually she gets a bus to Phibsborough but today she’ll take the train from Castleknock to Drumcondra. “Instead of a 20 minute journey it will take me 40 minutes,” she said.

Dublin is relatively well served with public transport and most commuters will have been able to make alternative arrangements on the Dart or Luas. But Ms Devitt said some people are badly affected by the strike. Her boyfriend can’t get the train to work, she said. “He got a lift this morning but he doesn’t know how he’s getting back,” she said.

Bret Glennon was standing on the footpath in Blanchardstown this morning, swiping at his phone and looking around expectantly. “I’m waiting for somebody to pick me up because I’m a little bit lost,” he said.

Mr Glennon, from Australia, lives in Smithfield and gets the bus every morning to Ballycoolin Industrial Estate where he works “near Paypal”. He got up at 6.30am this morning, anticipating a delay, and decided to get the Dart from Tara Street to Castleknock. His shift starts at 8.45am and it’s about 10 to nine when he speaks to The Irish Times. “Normally I’d be in work by 8.30am,” he said. Although he was already late, he wasn’t angry with the drivers for striking. “I don’t blame the drivers,” he said. “I blame the big cheeses.”

Another usual Dublin Bus customer, Tim Carroll also sympathised with the drivers and other workers, although he criticised them for inconveniencing commuters. “I can see why they’re striking,” he said, adding that the cost-saving measures proposed by Dublin Bus seem to predominantly affect low and medium level workers.

He said he now has an extra two kilometres to walk to catch a train, “it adds about an extra half hour” to his journey. “It will be an inconvenience if it goes into the second week”.

The dispute is over unilateral implementation by management of Labour Court recommendations aimed at generating savings of €11.7 million. This morning Minister of State for Public Transport Alan Kelly said the issues between workers and management were "not insurmountable" and "can be solved".

But with both parties yet to enter talks, the strike is set to continue for the time being.